The imaging of lungs with MRI is difficult owing to low
proton density. Imaging with hyperpolarized noble gases
has overcome some of these limitations but at great
expense and effort. We have implemented imaging of mouse
lungs using 19F MRI of perfluorohexane a cheap
biocompatible liquid at room temperature. Using lungs
filled with perfluorohexane, we were able to obtain high
resolution 2D and 3D scans with comparable SNRs to
hyperpolarized xenon imaging and high resolution. These
bright and stable lung images may provide a useful
background for imaging contrast agents that work through
production of hypointensities on T2* weighted images.

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